>> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is our "bbc world news america." french soldiers take on as llamas rebels in mali. they fled the violence in syria. now it is the snow making life miserable for hundreds of thousands of refugees. >> children are everywhere. they are freezing. their teeth are chattering. >> for rafer hollywood. the stars come out for the golden globes. this time, there are even some surprises.

welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. islamic militants have captured a town in mali despite four days of bombardment from french jets. they are trying to prevent their former colony from being overrun by rebels linked to al qaeda. capital, here is our report. >> of french troops on the ground in mali. france has pulled out every stop to get them there. pulling on every one of its bases in africa back and spare a man. islamist forces have controlled the deserts' of mali. they were pushing south. the air strikes began.

the french claim to have pushed the rebels back. the forces push on another front. france now needs land forces to capitalize on the campaign. some of those forces will be african. they are slow in coming and they need military equipment. >> the main fighting will take place north of here. in the vast somalian desert. so far, the capital has remained unaffected. they were concerned that if the islamists cross a line in the sand, this would have been there next top. the war has come here in the form of wounded government soldiers. this is not just an air

campaign. the suffering is on the ground. >> for more on the situation, i enjoyed by someone from the institute for policy studies. so i would suspect that a year ago people had not even heard of mali, let alone the islamist threat. >> a year ago, nobody anticipated this would happen. mali has been a stable democracy for quite some time, since the early 1990's. this is a statute which and where people in the northern part of the country, essentially a long marginalized and feeling completely devoid of the economic opportunity or political access, they have an opportunity because of libya and the political turmoil in libya to actually access weapons. bring them over the border and

launched what has been an unbelievable crisis for the malian people. >> you have been talking about this as an internal issue. how much of an international threat does this represent? the french has decided that this is an international threat. >> they have taken military action despite the fact that the community of west africa along with the african union has been pushing forward with a broader political plan of their own. you have to recognize that there can be no military solution to this crisis unless we recognize the root causes. making sure the people in the northern part of the country are absorbed and become integrated into the malian democratic crisis. the concern is that the military intervention can breed further

discontent and bring more extremists to bear. >> i heard the same arguments from the white house today. there has to be a more holistic approach to mali. there is less of a threat of islamic extremism from mali then perhaps the french are saying. you have 200-300 fighters in the north controlling vast desert areas. we have to understand that mali is the home of historic islamic institutions of learning. timbuktu, and universities, oxford, cambridge, harvard are there in mali. it has a long tradition of extremism and supporting learning advances through

religion and through political process these. we have to create a space where people who are pushing peace processes, that their voices can be heard. not only those who are backing military intervention that could lead to greater civilian chaos. >> thank you. drastically insufficient, that is how the international rescue committee this practical response to the situation in syria saying that the civil war has unleashed a staggering humanitarian crisis. hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee the violence. they are now making the refugee s' lives even harder. >> that has been the worst of winter is for people who fled the worst of wars. across a blanket of snow in the

valley, you can see syrian families in the distance. they have taken refuge by a mosque. all of the roads in are blocked by snow. we can only reach them by foot. two rows of concrete blocks are now home. these do not keep winter snows out and don't keep anyone warm. the children are everywhere. their hands are freezing and their teeth are chattering. they are so cold. these children have no medicine. there are no windows? she has eight children including

an eight-month old. her husband was killed by government shelling. she tells the that we have no money to take the children to hospitals. no fuel in the heaters, nothing. it's a life that breaks even the toughest here. some aid is reaching syrians in lebanon. here, they get vouchers for food and fuel from the u.n. there is not nearly enough aid to support the tide of people. everyone fears the end of the war won't happen soon.

>> a terrible plight of refugees in syria. they have descended on islamabad to protest a government that is corrupt and uncaring. a clerk is becoming a powerful, mysterious political figure. he wants the military to take a greater role in pakistani politics. i spoke a short time ago to pakistan's foreign minister. according to one international ranking, pakistan ranks as the 34th most corrupt country in the world. it is not surprising that people are protesting. >> corruption that is a challenge in pakistan, like in many other countries.

we are doing whatever we can and we intend to do more. we think that is very different than the type of person you are talking about, the person that has absolutely no credentials. staying for the last six years or more in canada. they are challenging pakistan and the fears of 180 million people. challenging the system or we have paid the price to put that in place in pakistan. >> you are talking about the clerics that have called on people to protest. but we talked to you about relations between washington and islamabad. one of the sticking points have been u.s. drone strikes within pakistan. there have been seven droned strikes within the past few weeks. have you come to the conclusion

that these drones strikes are useful for pakistan? >> absolutely not. the point has been made for the last many years that they would be productive. they are illegal and unlawful. i am speaking to you from the floor of the united nations. the united nations charter does not allow any country to use on authorized military action. we have to be very careful about the precedents that we are creating. >> are you saying that drug strikes are illegal? >> this is not the first time i am saying to us. they are illegal and unlawful. we are enaging in a deep dialogue with the united states. we share teh view that they

start seeing it as a counterproductive tool in the long run. >> sometimes there referred to as good taliban and bad taliban. it is okay for the americans to be targeting some and not others. >> they have called in the ambassador. what you might be calling quiet is quiet diplomacy happening in the background. today, the relations are at a much better spot. there is absolutely no question of pakistan finding these to be -- you ask about good taliban and bad taliban. any insurgent group which uses

violence as a means to prove its power is harmful to the national interest of pakistan. any group that uses violence is counter to our interest. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." as the south china sea heats up with territorial disputes, we report from the hobbit contested region. it is the due date that has been a waiting around the world. we now know that the duke and duchess of cambridge will be having a baby this summer. in july to be exact. the child is set to be third in line for the eighth round. is said tos' health

have improved. there will only be one baby on the way. our correspondent has the story. many people seem to think that she looked better than she did in the painting. it would seem that the period of acute sickness that hospitalize the duchess for several days last month is over. palace, a short statement. the duke and duchess of cambridge are delighted to confirm that they are expecting a baby in july. the duchess' condition continues to improve. what can be deduced from the meager details that we have? they refer to a baby. presumably, that rules out twins. the fact that she suffered from

acute pregnancy sickness may also tell us something. >> about 25% more likely to have a female baby. what we do know is that kate will take things very carefully. that is a risk. >> news of the birth will be posted on the railings of buckingham palace. the minority should be secured for the next three generations. -- marty should be -- monar chy should be secured for the next three generations. >> we will be on the mall reporting from president obama's second and our direction. the south china sea carries a

third of the world'and shipping. recently, it has been in the headlines because of territorial disputes. she reports from an island on impacts big and small. >> with these fishing boats are forced to the front line in the south china sea. for generations, families have made a living from the rich fishing grounds. increasingly, the fishermen are operating in dangerous waters. for 30 years, the captain has been at sea. he has been involved in several skirmishes. in the latest incident, he says that his crew was attacked by the vietnamese coast guard. >> the vietnamese patrol sank one of our small boats. we managed to rescue them.

now the men are too terrified to return to the sea. >> fishermen here say that it is increasingly dangerous to make a living. beijing is also staking its claim in different ways. it is creating a brand new city in the heart of the south china sea. investments pouring in including funds for a new military base. the move has angered china's neighbors that are turning to america for support. >> that is the reason why they are provoking beijing in the south china sea. >> many here believe that china should take a tougher line to protect their way of life. the captain says that troops

should be sent in to end the dispute. >> we must take back our territorial waters. i have waited a long time for military confrontation. >> it is this type of talk that is making beijing's neighbors extremely nervous. china's rising power and confidence are sending ripples across the region. >> for more on the pacific we speak to martin, who joins us from the island off the coast of southern china. she is that a naval base in san diego. the one question that everybody in washington and america has, is china militarily expanding? is there something that the u.s. needs to be concerned about? >> it dawn is breaking over the

fishing ports of taiwan. the fishermen are preparing to head out to sea. they say they are facing increased threats on the waters. that is one reason china is increasing its military spending. spending istary focusing on the water. it is increasing year on year. the leaders are talking about turning china into a maritime nation. last year, the country unveiled its first aircraft carrier. it is a symbol of china's growing naval ambitions. all of this is making china's neighbors nervous. some of them are turning to washington for support. what is clear is that the south

china sea will be one of the main theaters where chinese and american interests abroad up against each other. some are worried about american intentions in these waters. it does not like washington butting into what it considers its own backyard. >> we will be watching that more closely. he is at a naval base in san diego having just returned to a trip from the pacific. how urgent do they think this is? >> and an interesting point there. martin was talking about the chinese aircraft carrier. the u.s. actually has nine. they did have 11. one is being decommissioned and the other is being repaired. it takes a very long time to build those aircraft carriers, years. the u.s. is keeping a close eye

on china. 60% of the navy assets would be deployed to the pacific by 2020. that is a shift from 50% at the moment. the navy destroyer is returning home from a seven-month deployment. the crew were talking about how they had done in the region of north korea. they are standing by in case they are needed to intercept that missile. the u.s. hoped to cooperate in areas of mutual interest like stopping proliferation. >> 2 sides of an increasingly complicated relationship.

now to los angeles where the stars shown bright and exuberantly. the red carpet was still the place to be. inside favorites had their share of success. maybe the movie "argo" was the surprise of the night. >> it is one of the biggest party nights of the year. pulling some of the most famous faces onto the red carpet. the stars love the golden globes. they are prestigious, but they are more relaxed than the oscars and more of a party atmosphere. they will have momentum. as we build up to the academy awards. there has been of a lot of buzz about "lincoln" the spielberg

movie about the man who ended slavery and the man who played him. the film received the biggest applause of the evening. >> and the award goes to daniel day lewis. >> he is now a clear favorite to take the oscar. >> if you thought that the show went off, her majesty the queen of england will parachute in to make a last-minute pitch for " sky fall." >> the bond movie was all the nominated in one category, best original song. >> honestly, i have come up with my friend. i was not expecting this. thank you so much. this is to my boyfriend simon who convinced me to do it.

>> in tv drawbar, up claire won for best actress in "homeland." miserables" was a winner. >> you are telling me there is a movie company funded by the cia. >> it was "argo" that won best drama. tarantino took best director. strangely, he is not even nominated for an oscar. >> i loved argo. adele stole the show of the golden globes. who does not love that woman? check your local listings for the channel number.

thank you so much for watching. see you back here tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries.

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captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: in the final news conference of his first term, president obama said he will not negotiate with congressional republicans on raising the nation's debt ceiling. good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, we'll examine what the president said about tackling the government deficit and reducing gun violence. >> brown: then, we turn to the west african nation of mali, where french troops have launched air strikes on islamic militants. three jihaddist groups now deemed a clear and present danger to the capital and beyond, a threat to africa and europe. >> woodruff: margaret warner has the story of the suicide of a young internet wizard who was facing federal charges for hacking and distributing online data he thought should be made public. >> brown: ray suarez updates the changes in cuba, where travel restrictions r